Feds stepping up protection for killer whale population
Critical habitat area expanded to include all of Monterey Bay
MONTEREY » The federal government has expanded its critical habitat area for the endangered southern killer whale population that now includes all of Monterey Bay and a portion of the waters off the Big Sur coast.
The new critical habitat designation also added a large portion of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
down to Point Sur, about 25 miles south of Monterey. The new designation took effect Sept. 1.
The demise of what the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, calls the Southern Resident population of killer whales is the result of a number of factors, including the lack of its primary food source: chinook salmon.
This population differs from the northern resident population that occupies the waters off British Columbia and Alaska. The Endangered Species Act defines critical habitat as areas with “physical
or biological features essential to conservation of the species” that may need special protection.
Over-fishing and habitat loss are key reasons for the decrease in the available food source for these marine mammals — chinook themselves are endangered in some areas. But oil spills, ocean contaminants, ship strikes, entanglements in fishing gear and noise disturbance from vessels are also listed by NOAA Fisheries Service as contributing factors.
“When vessels are present, killer whales hunt less and travel more,” NOAA said in a
news release. “Noise interference from vessels, as well as from industrial and military activities, interrupts killer whales’ ability to use sound, which in turn disturbs their feeding, communication and orientation.”
A NOAA count in 2020 found just 74 of these southern resident whales remaining. The population is the lowest since the mid-1970s when killer whales were being killed or captured for amusement parks.
The name killer whales, also called orcas, is somewhat of a misnomer. Killer whales
are the largest species in the dolphin family and are considered the ocean’s apex predator. All killer whales are protected under the Marine Mammals Protection Act regardless of differing population areas.
Absent chinook salmon, killer whales also feed on fish like lingcod and halibut, both of which are abundant in the Monterey Bay region. But 90% of their diet is salmon.
“The whole West Coast can contribute to recovery of the whales and the salmon that they rely on,” said Lynne Barre, recovery
coordinator for the southern residents at NOAA Fisheries. “Regardless of where they are foraging, they feed on a mix of salmon from different West Coast rivers. That means the way we all use water, the way we protect habitat, how we handle our storm runoff — it all makes a difference.”
NOAA said the new designation should not have any impact on Monterey Bay fisheries because the decline of chinook and other protected species is already factored in when NOAA Fisheries establishes fishing quotas based on advice from the Pacific Fishery Management Council.
Environmental groups that fought for the extended designation, such as Washington
D.C.-based Oceana, hailed the move as the first major step toward the species’ recovery.
“We’re learning more about the southern resident orcas every year, and it’s heartening to see the Biden-Harris administration act on the science,” said Ben Enticknap, a senior scientist with Oceana. “We have a responsibility to protect and recover these orcas and this announcement will help make sure this happens.”
There are six critical habitat zones established by NOAA that begin at the Puget Sound and now run down to Point Sur. The Monterey Bay and the Big Sur coast compose the new Zone 6 designation.